Notice2023-22896
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Internet Panel Pretesting and Qualitative Survey Methods Testing
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Published
October 17, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed extension of the Generic Clearance for Internet Panel Pretesting and Qualitative Survey Methods Testing, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 199 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71529-71531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22896]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Generic Clearance for Internet Panel Pretesting and
Qualitative Survey Methods Testing
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed extension of the Generic Clearance for Internet Panel
Pretesting and Qualitative Survey Methods Testing, prior to the
submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for
approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
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information collection must be received on or before December 18, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c2a3a6b0afecb2b0a382a1a7acb1b7b1eca5adb4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a0c1c4d2cd8ed0d2c1e0c3c5ced3d5d38ec7cfd6">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control Number 0607-
0978 in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0002, to the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All comments received
are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the comment period
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Aleia Clark Fobia, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Center
for Behavioral Science Methods, Washington, DC 20233 or by calling 202-
893-4091.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau is committed to conducting research in a cost-
efficient manner. The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request an extension
of the current OMB approval to conduct a series of medium-scale
internet-based tests, as a cost-efficient method of testing questions
and contact strategies over the internet through different types of
samples. Using internet panel pretesting, we can answer some research
questions more thoroughly than in the small-scale testing, but less
expensively than in the large-scale field test.
This research program will be used by the Census Bureau and survey
sponsors to test alternative contact methods, including emails and text
messages, improve online questionnaires and procedures, reduce
respondent burden, and ultimately increase the quality of data
collected in the censuses and surveys. We will use the clearance to
conduct experimental pretesting of decennial and demographic census and
survey questionnaires prior to fielding them as well as communications
and/or marketing strategies and data dissemination tools for the Census
Bureau. The primary method of identifying measurement problems with the
questionnaire or survey procedure is split panel tests. This will
encompass both methodological and subject matter research questions
that can be tested on a medium-scale internet panel.
This research program will also be used by the Census Bureau for
remote usability testing of electronic interfaces and to perform other
qualitative analyses such as respondent debriefings. An advantage of
using remote, medium-scale testing is that participants can test
products at their convenience using their own equipment, as opposed to
using Census Bureau-supplied computers. A diverse participant pool
(geographically, demographically, or economically) is another
advantage. Remote usability testing would use click through rates and
other paradata, accuracy and satisfaction scores, and written
qualitative comments to determine optimal interface designs and to
obtain feedback from respondents.
The public is currently offered an opportunity to participate in
this research remotely, by signing up for an online research panel. If
a person opts in, the Census Bureau will occasionally email (or text,
if applicable) the person an invitation to complete a survey for one of
our research projects. Invited respondents will be told the topic of
the survey, and how long it will take to complete it. Under this
clearance, we will also conduct similar-scale and similarly designed
research using other email lists to validate preliminary findings and
expand the research.
II. Method of Collection
Split sample experiments. This involves testing alternative
versions of questionnaires, invitations to questionnaires (e.g., emails
or text messages), or websites, at least some of which have been
designed to address problems identified in draft versions or versions
from previous waves. The use of multiple questionnaires, invitations,
or websites, randomly assigned to permit statistical comparisons, is
the critical component here; data collection will be via the internet.
Comparison of revised questionnaires (or invitations) against a control
version, preferably, or against each other facilitates statistical
evaluation of the performance of alternative versions of the
questionnaire (or invitation or website).
The number of versions tested and the number of cases per version
will depend on the objectives of the test. We cannot specify with
certainty a minimum panel size, although we would expect that no
questionnaire versions would be administered to less than fifty
respondents.
Split sample tests that incorporate methodological questionnaire
design experiments will have a larger maximum sample size (up to
several hundred cases per panel) than other pretest methods. This will
enable the detection of statistically significant differences and
facilitate methodological experiments that can extend questionnaire
design knowledge more generally for use in a variety of Census Bureau
data collection instruments.
Usability Interviews: This method involves getting respondent input
to aid in the development of automated questionnaires and websites and
associated materials. The objective is to identify problems that keep
respondents from completing automated questionnaires accurately and
efficiently with minimal burden, or that prevent respondents from
successfully navigating websites and finding the information they seek.
Remote usability testing may be conducted under this clearance, whereby
a user would receive an invitation to use a website or survey, then
answer targeted questions about that experience.
Qualitative Interviews: This method involves one-on-one (or
sometimes group) interviews in which the respondent is typically asked
questions about survey content areas, survey questions or the survey
process. A number of different techniques may be involved, including
cognitive interviews and focus groups. The objective is to identify
problems of ambiguity or misunderstanding, or other difficulties
respondents may have answering survey questions in order to improve the
information ultimately collected in large scale surveys and censuses.
Data collection for this project is authorized under the
authorizing legislation for the questionnaire being tested. This may be
Title 13, Sections 131, 141, 161, 181, 182, 193, and 301 for Census
Bureau-sponsored surveys, and Title 13, Section 8(b), and Title 15 for
surveys sponsored by other Federal agencies. We do not now know what
other titles will be referenced, since we do not know what survey
questionnaires will be pretested during the course of the clearance.
Literature on and considerations about the use of internet samples
for this type of work have been thoroughly covered by a Task Force
commissioned by the American Association for Public Opinion Research
and are well documented there (Baker, et al., 2013).
The information collected in this program of developing and testing
[[Page 71531]]
questionnaires will be used by staff from the Census Bureau and
sponsoring agencies to evaluate and improve the quality of the data in
the surveys and censuses that are ultimately conducted. Because the
questionnaires being tested under this clearance are still in the
process of development, the data that result from these collections are
not considered official statistics of the Census Bureau or other
Federal agencies. Data will be included in research reports prepared
for sponsors inside and outside of the Census Bureau. The results may
also be prepared for presentations related to survey methodology at
professional meetings or publications in professional journals.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0978.
Form Number(s): TBD.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension,
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 67,600.
Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 16,900.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Data collection for this project is authorized
under the authorizing legislation for the questionnaire being tested.
This may be Title 13, Sections 131, 141, 161, 181, 182, 193, and 301
for Census Bureau-sponsored surveys, and Title 13 and 15 for surveys
sponsored by other Federal agencies. We do not now know what other
titles will be referenced, since we do not know what survey
questionnaires will be pretested during the course of the clearance.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-22896 Filed 10-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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